THE HONORARY PRESIDENT
MRS PRESIDENT SAYS…
Pandemic or powder?
The ever optimistic Chemmy Alcott encourages Members to seize the ski day
Happy to be back in the snow!
Chemmy with her youngest son, Cooper, embracing the summer of lockdown
Once, at a dinner party, after a few bottles of red, my friends and I wrote down the best and worst characteristics of those attending. According to them my most annoying trait was that I was ‘overly and eternally positive’. I was immensely flattered. If this is me at my worst then, in my opinion, I am winning at life!
This personality trait has kept me happy, alive and vivacious during the past strange, uncertain months. I have been DOING.
Even if the DOING never amounted to anything. I was busy even if I was busy for being busy’s sake. It didn’t matter.
And now I am full throttle planning next winter. From Ski Sunday and CDC race coaching to corporate hosting and the most complicated job of all – being a travelling mum of two very active and wanting-to-ski boys.
Half the emails I receive in response to correspondence detailing my winter travel plans start with ‘But what IF…’
To that I say why worry about things we can’t control? Yes, there could be a second wave. We could go into lockdown again.But, equally, we could take a risk, grab that chance and be the only ones on a mountain under blue skies, skiing an abundance of white, fluffy, diamond-glittering powder.
Yes, you may have to go about booking your trips a little differently (taking advantage of the Ski Club holidays’ full refund policy, for example) and spend more time going through the terms and
conditions of your insurance policy. But surely that’s a worthy investment of your time and energy if it offers the chance to get back to the mountains.
Don’t live in fear of the unknown. My first sports psychologist always used to say to me:
“Control the controllables. Don’t be distracted by external factors and others”
I say: don’t just live for today. Live for the day you get back on snow.